Hair curler with rotatably adjustable barrel



Sept. 16, 1952' A. E. VAUGHN 2,610,639

HAIR CURLER WITH ROTATABLY ADJUSTABLE BARREL Filed Sept. 14, 1950 A 3 /O 25" 3 /NVE,NTOI?. f 1 6 HLBERT E. VA UGHN BY HIS HTTORNEYS.

HnRR/s, IECH, Fosram$ ARR/8 l p l3 4'0 M Patented Sept. 16,v 1952 HAIR CURLER WITH ROTATABLY ADJUSTABLE BARREL Albert E. Vaughn, Orange, N. J.

Application September 14, 1950, Serial No. 184,727 7 8 Claims.

This invention relates to hair curling devices and particularly to that type of hair curler which comprises an elongate body or barrel around which locks of hair are wound toform curls, and means for maintaining the curls in place to prevent unwinding thereof.

' Various types of devices have been provided for temporarily curling or waving hair without'the application of heat. The most common type of curler, commonly referred to as a Hollywood curler, consists of a cylindrical metal tube or barrel and a metal clamp pivoted to one end of the tube, the end of the lock of hair being inserted between the tube and clamp and then 'wound tightlyv around these two parts. A substantially U-shaped clip pivoted to the same end of the tube as the clamp is adapted to fold'down over the wound lock of hair, being provided with a resilient disc roller rotatably mounted on the outer looped end of the clip and adapted to be received within the end of the tube to yieldingly lock the parts in closed position. Curlers of this type are usually constructed from metal and the U-shaped clip has inturned ends which pass through aligned holes in the tube and clamp with their terminal portions deformed within the tube to assemble the parts in hinged relationship.

It is a known fact that when such relatively rigid metallic hair curlers are used the sharp edges of the clamp often break or cut the ends of the hair and when they are worn in the hair during repose the pressure of the curlers against the head is uncomfortable and tends to disturb thesleep of the wearer. Moreover, such conventional hair curlers are composed of several parts which must be carefully assembled and it is the usual practice to employ special tools for flattening th inner ends of the clip within the tube to secure the parts together and this adds to the over-all cost of manufacture. Further more, it has been determined that when such curlers are used the parts often become bent or broken and the clip frequently loses its resiliency thereby rendering the curler unfit for use.

' It is one object of my invention to provide a hair curler of simplified construction which comprises only two parts, namely, a combined body member or barrel and clamp member, and an elastic clip member carried by the'barrel and ioldable .into position therealong. I

Another object is to provide a hair curler of the type indicated in which the combined barrel and clamping member is constructedfrom semifiexible material and in which the clip member is made from resilient, flexible, elastic or other 2 deformable material, thereby permitting the curlers to be worn with comfort during repose.

Another object is to provide a hair curler in which the barrel and clamp are adapted to be molded in'one piece, thus eliminating'the usualstamping and bending operations and avoiding theuse of special tools and the exercise of special skill in assembling the parts.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a hair curler, of the character referred to, in which the clip member has an-integrally formed annular loop portion atone end adapted to snap into a peripheral groove disposed atone end of the body member. By this construction, the body member and clip member are connected for relative rotation so that by holding the clip member in one hand the body member can be rotated with the other hand so as to wind locks of hair thereon without twisting the hair.

Another object is to provide a hair-curler of the class specified in which the bodymember is made from a semi-resilient material and has a keeper opening in its end opposite the end having the peripheral groove, the clip member having a detent lug or key at its free end adapted to snap into said opening so as to retain the clip member in closed position in overlying relation to the body member and thus retain the'hai r in place surrounding the body member.

A further object is to provide-a hair curler-in which'the clip member is of an elastic nature so that it can'be stretched or elongated longitudinally tofacilitate insertion of its locking lug in the keeper opening. By this provision, the inherent tendency of the clip member to'contract longitudinally effects frictional resistance to rotation of the body member after the parts are closed together, so that displacement of the lock of hair from the device is prevented.

A further object'is to provide a body member in which the keeper opening and the locking lug are non-circular in cross section so that the clip and body members are keyed together'to-further guard against relative rotation of the parts when the device is closed. Preferably, the keeper'open ingis made multi-sided so that the locking lug of the clip member may engage therein in any of several positions. In another form of the in-' vention, the opening may take the form of a plurality of crossing slots in the end ofthe body member. in any of which the locking lug may engage.

A still furthe'r'object is to provide a'hair curler in which the body member is provided with'an integral, resilient, clamping portion or fingerun- 3 der which the end of a lock of hair may be placed and retained at the start of the operation of winding the hair on the body member. As a feature of improvement, the body member is provided with a longitudinally extending groove or recess into which the clamping finger is depressible so that the over-all width or thickness of the body member is maintained at a minimum.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description and from the drawing, which is intended for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of my improved hair curler, showing the parts in closed relationship;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the hair curler showing the body member rotated through 180 from the position shown in Fig. 1;

Fig.3 is a plan view of the curler;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

v Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line 5---5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 isa view similar to Fig. 3, but on a reduced scale, illustrating the manner of opening the device for the reception of the end of a lock of hair Fig. 7 is a side View of a hair curler of slightly modified construction; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, taken on line 8-8 of Fig.7. 7 Referring to the drawing in detail, my improved hair curler device includes an elongate spindle or body member H] which is preferably molded from a semi-flexible plastic material. The spindle. I0 is herein shown as of square cross section and its sides are concavely curved in a longitudinal direction. Formed integrally with the spindle) is a clamping portion or finger II which is connected to the spindle at one end l2 thereof and which overlies a cut away portion or recess l3 provided in one side of the spindle. The clamping finger H is resilient and thusmay be flexed outwardly from the recess l3 as shown in Fig. 6 to insert the end of a lock of hair in the recess, after which the finger may be released to causejit to flex inwardly so as to clamp the end of the lock of hair against the spindle prior to winding the hair thereon. The sides of the body member ID preferably have longitudinal depressions into which the hairmay be depressed to effect a secure grip thereof around the member. The end 12 of the-body member or spindle I0 is reduced in cross section to provide an axial extension formed with a conical head [6. Between the head IG and the main portion of the spindle Hi the extension is provided with a peripheral groove IT. The other end 19 of the spindle I0 is provided with a recess or keeper opening 20 which, as shown in Fig. 5, may be of square .or other multi-sided cross-sectional shape.

The'hair curler device also includes a clip member which is molded from resilient or elastic plastic material. The member 25 is in the form of a closed rectangular loop, having parallel side bars 26 joined at one end by a circular loop 21 and at the other end by an end bar 28. The loop 21 has a central aperture 29 of a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the peripheral groove ll. Due to its elasticity, the loop 21 is expansible diametrically to adapt it to be forced over the conical head l6 of the spindle and to snap into the peripheral groove IT to rotatably connect the clip member 25. to the body member It. It is important to note. by reference to Figs. 1 and 3,

that the portions of the side bars 26 adjacent the loop 21 are curved as indicated at 30, the point of joinder of each side bar and the loop being offset above the axis of the loop. In addition, it will be observed by reference to Fig. 6 that the included angle as between the loop and the side bars 26 is made considerably less than ninety degrees for the purpose to be later explained. I g 1 The end bar 28 of the clip member '25 is provided with an inwardly directed resilient lug or key 33 of rectangular cross section (Fig. 5). When the clip member 25 is flexed toward the end I9 of the body member I, the resilient key rides across an edge bordering the keeper opening 20 and snaps into the opening to releasably look the parts H1 and 25 in closed relationship and to resist rotation of the clip member. Preferably, the maximum dimension of the key 33 is made slightly greater than the minimum dimension of the keeper opening 20 so as to create frictional resistance to relative rotation of the clip member and the spindle. To open thedevice, the free end of the clip member isflexed away from the end IQ of the spindle and to facilitate prying of the end bar 28 from the end I9-of the spindle so as to flex the-key 33 from the opening 29, the end bar is provided with transversely ex tending flngerpieces 34 adapted to be engaged by a fingernail of the user (Fig. 3).

To apply the improved hair curler to use, the clip member 25 is first opened as shown in Fig. 6, after which the finger l l is flexed outwardly from the recess i3 as also shownin thisview. The end of a lock of hair is next placed across the recess l3 and the finger l l is thereafter released'and allowed to flex inwardly, due to itsinherent resiliency, so as to clamp the end of the lock of hair in the recess. -With the end of the hair thus clamped to the body member or spindle IE the latter is rotated by'holding the clipmember 25 between the fingers of one hand and turning the end 59 of spindle'by the fingers of the other hand. By this procedure, the body member [0 is caused to roll along the scalp of the user so as to wind the lock of hair therearound.

After the look of hair has thus been wound around the spindle E3, the clip member 25 is flexed toward'the spindle to overlie the ;roll or curl of hair and to dispose its end; bar 28 adja-v cent the end is of the spindle. By forcing the end bar 28 into alignment with the axis of the spindle 18, its resilient lug or key 33 is caused to ride across the edge of the end 19 and to snap into the keeper opening 29. 'It is to be noted at this point that during the forcing ofthe key 33 across the end l9 of the spindle, the clip member is stretched to a slight extent and its side bars 26 may tend to straighten. 'That is to say, the curved portions 3 may flatten somewhat to accommodate such stretching or elongation of the clip member into closed position. Due to the inherent resiliency or elasticity of the clip member, the key 33 is retained'within the keeper opening 20. Since the longest dimension of the key 33 is slightly greater than the distance across the flats or sides of theopening 28, the key is compressed slightly and even though the key, may assume a diagonal position extending between corners of the opening, the frictional engagement of the key in the opening will effectively resist relative rotation between the clip and body'members. Since the clip member 25 possesses a relatively high degree of elasticity, its side bars 28 may flex laterally outwardly to follow the roll of hair and to thus grip the same to further resist rotation of the spindle Ill.

After the curler has been in use for a period suflicientto set the curl, the curler device is opened by merely flexing the end bar 28 of the clip member 25 so as to retract the key from the keeperopening 28. The clip member 25 then may be pivoted or, to be more specific, flexed away from the spindle or body member iii, the clip member then assuming the position shown in Fig. 6. The spindle is then rotated in reverse direction to unwind the lock of hair therefrom. The end of the lock of hair is removed from the device by merely withdrawing it from beneath the'clamping finger ll.

Referring now to Figs. '7 and. 8, my invention also contemplates the alternative construction shown therein. In this modified construction, the end IQ of the spindle or body member is is provided with a pair of crossing slots 40 and 4!, each of which is adapted to receive the lug or key 33 of the clip member 25 when the latter is closed down against the body member. By this engagement of the key 33 in either slot ll! or 4!, relative rotation between the clip and body members is resisted and raising of the clip member is prevented.

While I have herein disclosed the improved hair curler as. embodied in two preferred forms of construction, it will be apparent that various modifications might be made which would fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A hair curler, comprising: an elongate body member around Which hair can be wound. said body member having a non-circular, keeper opening in its first end and a peripheral groove adjacent its second end; and a resilient clip mem ber having an annular loop portion at one end surrounding said second end of said body member within said groove to allow relative rotation between said body member and said clip member, said clip member having parallel side bars extending longitudinally of and spaced from said body member and having an end bar extending across said first end of said body member, said end bar having an integral, non-circular latching lug adapted to snap into said non-circular keeper opening so as to releasably retain said clip member in closed position with its side bars extending alongside said body member and to resist relative rotation between said clip and body members, said side bars when unrestrained extending from said loop portion at an angle of less than ninety degrees so that upon release of said latching lug from said keeper opening, said side bars automatically assume an inclined relation to the axis of said body member due to the inherent resiliency of said clip member.

2. A hair curler, comprising: an elongate body member around which hair can be wound, said body member having a non-circular, keeper opening in its first end and a peripheral groove adjecent its second end; and an elastic clip member having an annular loop portion at one end surrounding said second end of said body member within said groove to allow relative rotation between said body member and said clip mem ber, said clip member having parallel side bars extending longitudinally of and spaced from said body member and having an end bar extending across said first end of said body member, said end bar having an integral, non-circular latching lug adapted to snap into said non-circular keeper opening so as to releasably retain said clip member in closed position with its side bars extending alongside said body member and to resist relative rotation between said clip and body members, said clip member being stretchable longitudinally to allow entrance of said latching lug into and removal thereof from said keeper opening, said sidebars when umestrained extending from said loop portion at an angle of less than ninety degrees so that upon release of said latching lug from said keeper opening, said side bars automatically assume an inclined relation to the axis of said body member due to the inherent elasticity of said clip member.

3. A hair curler of the character defined in claim 1 in which said body member has a flexible clamping finger extending alongside said body member in'close association thereto and adapted, to clamp end portions of locks of hair against said body member, said finger being adapted to flex outwardly from said body member to facilitate placing the end portions of the hair against said body member.

4. A hair curler of the character defined in claim 1 in which said body member has a flexible clamping finger extending from said second end alongside said body member toward said first end in close association with said body member and adapted to clamp end portions of locks of hair against said body member, said finger being adapted to flex outwardly from said body member to facilitate placing the end portions of the hair against said body member.

5. A hair curler of the character defined in claim 1 in which said body member has a longitudinally extending recess in a side thereof, said body member having a flexible clamping finger extending from said second end alongside said body member toward said first end in overlying relation to said recess.

6. A hair curler of the character defined in claim 1 in which said keeper opening is multisided and has a minimum transverse dimension and a maximum transverse dimension, and in which said latching lug has a transverse dimension slightly greater than said minimum transverse dimension.

'7. A hair curler of the character defined in claim 1 in which said keeper opening is a transverse keyway and in which said latching lug is a transverse key engageable in said keyway.

8. A hair curler of the character defined in claim 1 in which said end bar, together with its latching lug is flexible relative to said first end of said body member so as to facilitate insertion of said lug into and removal thereof from said keeper opening, and in which said clip member has an integral fingerpiece on its said end bar for facilitating flexing of said end bar.

ALBERT E. VAUGHN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Journal of the Patent Oflice Society, volume XXXI, No. 2, February 1949, pages 147 and 148. (Copy in Div. 55.) 

